Kennebec Dispute 1634
Kennebec Dispute 1634 was a deadly fight in 1634 between traders of Plymouth Colony and nearby Pistacaqua Colony over indian trading rights on the Kennebec River in Southern Maine territory. Afterwards two prominent leaders of Plymouth (John Alden (c1599-1687) and John Howland (1592-1672)) were implicated in Massachusetts Bay Colony but eventually released. Background Pistacaqua Colony Pistacaqua Colony was an English settlement made circa 1629 on the Pistacaqua River near Portsmouth, New Hampshire and the border between present date New Hampshire and Maine. * John Hocking (c1595-1634) - died on the Kennebec River Plymouth Colony Plymouth Colony was the famous English settlement founded in 1620 by the pilgrims on the Mayflower. Plymouth Colony was soon in great debt and eventually all the pilgrims sold their company shares to a group of eight men, including Howland and Alden, who hoped to run some colony business, payoff their debts and make a profit. One business venture was the exclusive legal right to trade with indians further north up the Kennebec River in present day Maine. * John Alden (c1599-1687) - leading figure at Plymouth * John Howland (1592-1672) - leading figure at Plymouth * John Irish * Thomas Savory * William Reynolds * Moses Talbot (c1610-1634) - killed on the Kennebec River River Fight In 1634, Alden and Howland discovered some men (John Hocking (c1595-1634), two men and a boy) from the Piscatacaqua Colony with a barge tied down upriver on the Kennebec. Howland went up to Hockings and his men and asked them to leave which they refused. Howland stated he would not allow them to remain and Hocking remained defiant with "foul speeches". Howland ordered three of his men (John Irish, Thomas Savory and William Reynolds) to cut the cables holding the barge in place so that the river current would wash it away. But the current was too strong and they could only cut one cable. Then they sent Moses Talbot in a canoe to finish the job. But as he was cutting cables, Hocking stormed across the deck of the barge with guns in hand and shot Moses in the head at point-blank range, killing him instantly. Then "one of the fellows which loved him well could not hold, but with musket shot Hocking, who fell down dead and never spake a word." Alden was present with Howland for the entire episode. Court Trials Later when John Alden went to Boston to trade goods there, John Winthrop (1587-1649), the governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony had received a complaint from the Piscatacaqua settlers, for which Alden was arrested and put in jail. The folks at Plymouth Colony were quite angered at his jailing there, arguing that the events took place outside of Massachusetts Bay jurisdiction and that Alden was a onlooker, not a participant. Plymouth Governor, Thomas Prence (1600-1673), wrote letters to the Bay Colony leaders insisting they had no right to hold John Alden or to adjudicate the matter. They sent over militia leader Miles Standish (c1660-1728) who was able to negotiate his release and return to Plymouth. But the episode led to many more harsh disagreements until eventually there was an arbitration hearing in Boston for which no Piscatacaqua representatives showed and the matter was finally ruled in favor of the Plymouth men. References * History of Province of New Hampshire - Wikipedia * John Alden - See mayflower history * Alden Family Organization - Historic House & Museum Category: English colonization of the Americas